Is the Morning After Pill Over the Counter? If the unthinkable happens and you are left in a state of panic when the condom broke, you’ll be relieved to know that there is still something you can do to prevent against pregnancy…even AFTER sex. The day after pill (also known as the morning after pill) is you best back up plan. But is the morning after pill over the counter? You’ll be glad to know that now it is. While there are prescription morning after pills like ella, there is also EContra EZ, an emergency contraceptive that you can buy over the counter and use for up to 3 days after unprotected sex. It is important to note, however, that over the counter emergency contraception should be taken as soon as possible. It loses efficacy with each hour that passes after unprotected sex. For this reason, many women choose to have the day after pill in their medicine cabinet just in case an accident occurs. Over the counter emergency contraception shouldn’t be used frequently or as an alternative for a regular birth control method. It is the ideal choice for those situations were protection was either abandoned, sex was not consensual or another birth control method failed. Now that the morning after pill is available over the counter, you can avoid an embarrassing and costly trip to see your physician. In fact, if you aren’t comfortable walking in to your pharmacy for the day after pill, you can actually order it online and have it shipped directly to you confidentially. Day After Pill If you aren’t sure whether the day after pill is an option for you, consider asking yourself the following questions: “Did I forget to take multiple birth control pills in a row?” “Did it seem like the condom broke?” “Has it been less than 3 days since the unprotected sex occurred?” If you answer yes to any of these questions, it might be a good decision to get the morning after pill over the counter. Basically this medication contains a high dose of hormones that in most cases prevents ovulation from occurring. Even if sperm is present, without an egg there is no chance of pregnancy. If you have already ovulated, certain studies have shown that the day after pill may prevent the egg from attaching and therefore, no pregnancy can occur. Sperm can live in the female reproductive tract for days and that is why it is important to take preventative measures with the day after pill to avoid unplanned pregnancy. Condom Broke While barrier methods, like condoms, are extremely effective in pregnancy prevention, there are certain times when the condom can malfunction. If exposed to friction, the condom can tear for example. In these cases it can be really overwhelming when a condom fails. If this is something that is happening to you and your partner frequently, you might want to consider taking a routine hormonal birth control so that you don’t need to rely on the day after pill continually. In fact, it should not be taken any more than once per cycle and shouldn’t be used month after month. While most women experience few, if any, side effects of the day after pill there are a few common side effects. These most often include vomiting (which might require you to take another dose), nausea, cramping or dizziness.
